The Physics of Friendship
by Osaru Sensei
Summary: A new schoolyear, and with it, new students. Team FYSX is one of several new huntsmen teams to form. Will they rise to the challenge of Beacon Academy's curriculum, or will they buckle under the immense pressure? Only time will tell...
1. New friends

**Holy sh-t you guys, I'm actually going to write a multi-chapter story.**

* * *

Chapter the First: In which a Setting is established; Characters are introduced; and Romance is sparked.

* * *

The day had finally come. After many tests, both theoretical and practical, Flora Summers was finally standing in the designated airship gate reserved for the new freshman students of the prestigious Beacon Academy. She had settled into a corner seat overlooking the gate and the door leading back out to the main airship terminal. She wished her parents could be there to wave her off and wish her good luck with the next step in her training to become a Huntress, but they were off at Signal Academy for her younger sisters' entrance exams. _Good luck you guys, I'll be waiting for you at Beacon…_

She shifted in her seat as she heard running footsteps in the main terminal. A tall girl with blonde hair rushed by towards the gate reserved for seniors.

"Hurry up Ruby, or we'll not make it on board!" A smaller, redhead girl wearing a billowing red cape ran up to her big sister.

"But _Yaang_ , the airship doesn't take off for another ten minu-" The cloaked girl stopped as she caught a glimpse of Flora out of the corner of her eye, smiled and waved and then ran after her sister.

"Something wrong, Rubes?"

"Nah, just saw one of those guys we had the workshop with – you remember the girl with the axe sh-" Flora never heard he end of the conversation as the two sisters ran out of earshot. She chuckled to herself as she remembered the eight Wednesday afternoons she had spent in a weapons workshop with other hopeful future students in one of Beacon Academy's shooting galleries, designing weapons and just hanging out in general. She felt the comfortable weight of her axe-shotgun The Woodsman on her back as she stood up to stretch her body. With only a few minutes left until the airship was to leave for Beacon, some of her future classmates started to pile in. Some of them ignored her, some smiled and waved when they recognised her from the workshop event. Suddenly she spotted a boy stealing glances at her. When he saw that he'd been caught in the act, he tried to nonchalantly look away. _Subtle._

She had no time to confront him however, as the signal to board the airship sounded over the gate coms.

As she got on board she spotted the boy further up in the mass of people, and started to move towards him.

"Hey you! Couldn't help but notice you were scopin' me out back there!" She said with a smile as she crept up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.

" _Gah!_ Please don't mug me!" the boy yelled as he recoiled in surprise.

"Now why would I do _that?_ You don't look particularly rich… You gonna tell me why you were gawking earlier or not?" she teased, poking his ribs.

"Eh… hehehe… I… liked your weapon?"

"… Which I carry on my back, facing away from you?"

"… Your tunic? It's got a cute-looking… hood?"

"Try again."

He never got a chance to reply, as a hologram of a stern-looking blonde woman appeared in the airship.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon! My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." As the hologram faded, a multitude of whispers about " _the_ Glynda Goodwitch" echoed in the airship.

Flora turned to face her newfound friend with a sly smile.

"Ok, now can you _please_ tell me why you were so obviously checking me out earlier?"

"I… I remembered you from that workshop event and was trying to confirm it actually were you. Your name was… Flora, right?"

"Flora Summers, yeah. And you are…?"

"Xander. Xander Braun." He blushed slightly while holding out his hand for Flora to shake.

"Nice to meet you Xander. Welcome to Beacon."

"Thanks. You too."

* * *

 **AN: It bears repeating – I'm actually going through with this! I'm both super scared and super excited at the same time!**

 **At least Flora seems a bit more alert to the lovey-dovey happenings than Jaune was with Pyrrha…**

 **EDIT: Fractured sentence.**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


	2. Initiation

**Woo, time for a new chapter! Sorry for not updating earlier, had a plot bunny I needed to get rid of – go give "Past is Present" a read if you haven't already!**

* * *

Chapter the Second: In which Speeches are delivered, a good Night's Sleep is had, and Students are sent flying.

* * *

The two freshmen were awestruck as they stepped into the great auditorium of Beacon Academy. They hurried to their seats as a lanky, bespectacled, and grey-haired man walked up to a microphone onstage.

"Oh! Hold on, please don't start talking yet…" Xander whispered to himself as he started to search for his scroll frantically.

"What're you doing?" asked Flora, looking at her new friend quizzically. Xander had finally found his scroll, aimed it towards the Headmaster of Beacon as he began his speech.

"My brother and I have a theory that Ozpin's speech is the same every year, without alterations. I'm just gonna make a recording to send him so we can confirm it."

" _…_ _in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new…_ "

"… Wouldn't that be rather obvious?" Flora looked around at the people gathered. Xander smiled back at her.

"Well, times change, so it'd be only logical to have his speeches reflect that change."

" _…_ _to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted…_ "

"… True. But I still see no real reason for them to change the content of his speeches."

As Professor Ozpin finished his speech, Glynda Goodwitch stepped up to the microphone.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

* * *

They had continued their discussion as they made their way to the ballroom, and were now unpacking their sleeping gear.

"They need to keep the same speeches to show that while most things change, some things will always stay the same. It's metaphorical. They're providing us with an unchanging ground to build ourselves up on, without risking that foundation being yanked away from under our feet."

"Hmm… good point. But I still think some changes are good. You know, to spice thing up a bit."

"Glad to see we've sort of come to an agreement." Flora smiled. Just as she was about to pull her hooded tunic over her head to change into her nightie, she saw Xander space out with his face a distinct reddish hue.

"… Would you mind looking the other way, please? Don't think we're quite _that_ buddy-buddy yet…" Xander blinked as he realised what he'd done.

"Oh, uh, of course…" he turned around and started to fidget with his sleeping bag. When he had dressed down to his underwear and slipped into his bag, he felt it was safe enough to glance back towards Flora.

"Goodnight Flora."

"'Night Xander." The last thing Xander saw before sleep finally overtook his consciousness was a brunette Faunus girl sleeping besides a large sword in its scabbard.

* * *

The sun shone brightly as they gathered at Beacon cliffs facing the Emerald Forest. As they took their designated spots on their respective springboards, Professors Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch started to explain.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin began, punctuated with a sip on his ever-present coffee.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of 'teams.' Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... _today._ " The gathered students looked each other over at Glynda's words.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." It seemed as if Professor Ozpin couldn't finish one sentence without taking another sip from his cup, a fact Glynda appeared to be well-aware of, judging by the stares she was giving him as he continued their two-man announcement.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Once again the students looked around to gauge the others' reactions – the general consensus seemed to be 'what.'

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you _will_ die. You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" No answer. Ozpin smiled in approval.

" _Good_ _!_ Now, take your positions." After the students crouched onto their respective springboard, they were launched into the forest one by one, excited shouts and laughs echoed in the air. As Yasmin Meški was launched her ears were pressed down flat against her head by the air pressure, and she scanned the treetops below to get an estimate of her general landing zone. As a particularly large tree trunk got closer and closer she stretched out a hand, crackling with electricity. _Piece of cake_.

* * *

 **AN: Favour to ask guys – anyone see a noun in the chapter titles for this story that isn't Capitalized, let me know so I can correct that, okay?**

 **Not entirely satisfied with how well I wrote the "Ozpin's-speech-in-the-background" bit… Anyone got ideas on how to better convey that, please share in the review section.**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


	3. An Electrifying Encounter

**Finally getting back to this story! Yay!**

* * *

Chapter the Third: In which Thunder is released, Merriment is had, and Partnerships are formed.

* * *

As soon as she felt the rough bark of the tree trunk touch her fingertips, she let loose her Semblance's full effect, exploding it in a hailstorm of splinters and pieces of bark. She had only managed to slow her descent by a very small margin through her improvised electric "shield bash" though, so she kept on a steady course for her actual target – the tree behind the one she had just obliterated. She hooked her zweihänder Nightshade around one of the branches and used the rotational momentum to get up on a higher vantage point. Once firmly settled, she transformed her sword into its sniper mode and started to sweep the area with the scope. Her fellow initiates had landed all over the area, making it less likely to run into multiple potential partners at once. She returned Nightshade to sword mode and used it as a brake when she jumped off her branch and spiralled down the trunk towards the ground. As she sheathed Nightshade on her back, she heard more of the excited shouting coming not far from her current location. She flicked her sensitive ears about to pinpoint the noise. There.

She barely had time to register the direction as she spotted the source of the commotion – a young boy, perhaps a few months older than her, sailing through the air still. She calculated his possible landing zone, and took off sprinting.

* * *

Slate Amarillo was having the time of his life.

Sure, he might be a little sore in the knees after that damn springboard (seriously, was his the only one wound up that tight, or will everyone be walking funny for the next few hours?), but other than that, he felt great! His dark hair fluttering in the wind, the sun shimmering over his toned (and tanned!) musculature… then there was the fact that he'd managed to figure out how to actually-sorta _fly_.

Just before he was launched, in fact.

He had vaguely recalled the tidbit that hot air floated on top of cold air, which was followed by the realisation that he could use his temperature control Semblance in conjuncture with his honkin' huge swords as wings. So here he was, soaring high above the Emerald Forest without a care in the world. _Wait, what was he doing up here again? Oh right, Initiation quest._

He tilted his swords to break his forward momentum, then angled his body downwards to descend faster towards the glade he had set as a promising landing zone.

"YAHOOOOO!" Mere metres from the ground he put his two swords together to form his hover board, saving him from a messy end.

"Nice save there." Slate jumped high at being addressed so suddenly.

"GAH! WHO GOES THERE?!" as he whipped his head about he came eye to eye with a girl, maybe a head shorter than him. Her strawberry-blonde hair reached her shoulders, perfectly framing her face with inquisitive, blue eyes. She was wearing pretty straightforward combat gear over her street clothes, leather bracers and greaves protecting her forearms and shins, and a metal-studded leather harness over her shirt.

"Well, _hello_ beautiful…" his eyes briefly darted up to her dog ears, flitting about scanning for noises all around them. "I take it you're a good girl?" He gave her his hand to shake. "The name is Slate Amarillo. Looks like we're going to be partners from now on." She accepted his hand and shook it.

"Yasmin Meški. Nice to meet you, _Slate_." He noticed the somewhat harsh tone in her words as he moved his hand back towards himself. Yasmin held on.

"There's just two things we need to establish before we're formally partners. One. Don't flirt. And two…" Her fist crackled with electricity as Slate looked down. Suddenly his arm spasmed wildly as she cut lose at a fraction of what she really wanted to with people like him.

"… The casual racism stops. _Now_."

 _Ouch_.

* * *

 **AN: Oh joy, she gets to partner up with a Romeo wannabe. :P**

 **(Recipe for Slate Amarillo: lady-killer styles of Neptune Vasilias and S1 Jaune Arc, Tahu Nuva's mastery of heat and twin fire greatswords plus the ever-present RWBY maxim of "It's also a gun.")**

 **I just realised that Slate's and Yasmin's names both can mean "Black Yellow" and "Yellow Black" respectively. Buzz buzz.**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


	4. The Runaway Plan

**Sorry about that sadfic earlier, had to get it out of my system. xD**

* * *

Chapter the Fourth: In which Plans go awry, Battle is joined, and a Team is formed.

* * *

It had all been a rather simple plan, really.

Xander and Flora had held a quick strategy meeting before stepping up on their assigned springboards. They would be utilising their respective semblance of Kinetokinesis and Mass Control to get as close to the target as possible, then drop down and gather near the temple to collect their artefact and be on their merry way back to Beacon.

 _So where the heck was he?_

Flora was swinging the Woodsman in the midst of the beowolf pack she had inadvertently disturbed upon touchdown. Rookie mistake, but they were hardly a difficult obstacle. She increased her weapon's mass mid swing, and it connected to one of the beowolves' skulls with a sickening crunch. As she yanked it loose from the corpse, she fired off a salvo in the chest of another beowolf that lunged at her, toppling it backwards into two pack mates. There were three opponents left out of eight when suddenly she heard loud, growling noises approaching.

"Ursa. Just _great_. Like this couldn't get more annoying. What's next, Griffons?"

"OUTTA THE WAY, URSA COMING THROUGH! URSA COMING THRO-oh hey Flora!" Running in at a high speed came Xander, pursued by two fairly large Ursa. Flora glared annoyed at her newly-minted partner.

" _There_ you are. What took you so Dust-damned long?" Xander shrugged behind his shield.

"It's a long and boring story that involves a herd of Griffons, a wayward beowolf and these three Ursa… well two now. Last one I punched a ticket for a free flight through the forest for." Flora looked over their five opponents.

"We've got time for stories, I think." Flora casually blasted a lunging beowolf in the face, then chopped off the head of one of the Ursa.

"O...kay? Well, I landed on the back of one of the Griffons who tried to shake me off. I shot my ride in the weak point near the neck, then ran away as fast as I could. I offed the lonely beowolf as I ran past it-" Xander bashed his shield into a rushing Ursa, sending it sprawling through liberal usage of his semblance, then continued his tale.

"-mostly as an afterthought really, it was a fairly juvenile beowolf after all. As my 'incredibly good luck' continued, I ran into these bozos and their buddy and they kinda tailed me here." Flora chuckled.

"You're such a _hero_. I think you need to look up the definition of 'long' though, 'cause that story was anything but."

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up. The guy who runs away, lives to fight another day."

"Got a fix on the direction of the artefact location?" Xander pointed off into the distance.

"Not entirely sure, but somewhere in that direction I think?" They quickly finished off the remaining ursa and beowolf, then went on their way towards their goal.

As they walked, they suddenly came across a big, open-air stone structure with several pedestals in a semi-circle.

"Twenty lien on that that's the temple, and those chess pieces are the artefacts." Xander pointed.

"You think? And here I thought it was just an elaborate art installation." Flora grinned and poked him in the ribs playfully. As they walked into the circle, they saw a boy with two sizeable swords and a dog Faunus girl pick their piece and start trekking back towards Beacon Cliffs. Xander glanced back to them as Flora stepped up amongst the chess pieces.

"I think I recognise those two… didn't they attend that workshop event too?" He turned his attention back to Flora.

"Maybe. Wanna pick the Black Queen or the White Rook? I'm kinda feeling the Queen."

"Sounds good to me."

"Queen it is then." Flora pockets the piece and turns to her partner.

"Lead the way, brave knight." As she steps towards Xander, she makes an exaggerated bow. Xander chuckles a bit at her antics and turns in the direction of Beacon.

* * *

Half an hour later they were gathered behind the scene in Beacon's atrium, eager to hear what their team configurations would be for the next four years, and possibly beyond.

Professor Ozpin was standing centre stage as always, reading the individual students name, what piece they had collected, and what their team name would be.

"… And finally: Yasmin Meški. Xander Braun. Flora Summers. Slate Amarillo." The four freshmen stepped up on the scene when their names were called "The four of you retrieved the black queen pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team FYSX. Led by... Flora Summers!"

Flora perked up at the last bit.

"… Really? You're not pranking me now, are you?" the professor merely met her sceptic look and smiled.

"You will find that I'm not the type to 'prank' the students under my tutelage."

As the newly-minted Team FYSX gathered for a group hug, Flora couldn't possibly be any happier.

 _These next four years would be awesome._

* * *

 **AN: My fight scenes are stilted as heck. Need practice.**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


	5. Beginnings

**Okay, yeah. Still not out of my Writer's Block just yet. Apologies if this chapter is boring and craptastic and/or wordpooping in general.**

* * *

Chapter the Fifth: In which a Dorm is moved into, classes begin, and Frustration is vented.

* * *

Flora gently pushed the door to their newly-assigned dorm room open, noting that the doorframe held a crudely-carved 'TEAM BROK WUZ HERE' as she walked through.

"… Remind me to request that to be sanded out." Xander nodded and chuckled as he carried in his luggage.

"Aye, boss."

Flora looked over their room as Yasmin and Slate carried in their respective gear.

"Okay, time to get this place a bit homelier. Slate, you can start by putting the beds two and two at _opposite sides_ of the room. Yasmin, you can gather our books and put them in the shelf by the window. Xander… what's the time, by the way?" Xander lifted his left arm, moved his glove aside a bit and looked at his watch.

"Class begins in 45 minutes."

"Good, good. Plenty of time then. Xander, you can help me with putting up the drapes."

"Okay."

Finishing their tasks, Flora called for a study cram session the last 15 minutes before they had to go to their first class for the term.

* * *

"Freaks! Horrors! Stalkers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as _prey_! Ha-ha!" Professor Port's boisterous voice echoed in the lecture hall, followed by an awkward silence.

"Uhh... And you shall too, upon graduating from this prestigious academy! Now, as I was saying: Vale, as well as the other three kingdoms, are safe havens in an otherwise treacherous world! Our planet is absolutely _overflowing_ with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to shreds! And that's where we come in. Huntsmen! Huntresses..." the Professor paused to wink at Flora, who smiled and winked back.

 _Guess he liked the Huntsman then…_

"Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves! From what, you ask? Why, the _very world_!" Professor Port paced back and forth by his desk as he got sidetracked by a long-winded story. Yasmin was desperately trying to focus on what the professor was saying to make sure she didn't miss anything that could be of use in further studies, but as she looked at her partner, Slate was making himself busy chatting up some older girls sitting in the row behind them.

"Slate!" She hissed.

"Stop flirting and pay attention in class!" No response. The girls giggled at the younger boys words.

 _Oum give me strength… Enough of this._

Yasmin swiftly grabbed Slate's thigh and gave it a jolt of her semblance.

"YEOWTCH! What the-" Slate jumped in his seat. Port glanced in their direction and cleared his throat loudly.

" _As I was saying_ ; finally, I subdued the two Ursai and returned to the village a hero. The moral of this story? A true huntsman must be dependable! A true huntsman must be honorable! A true huntsman must be strategic, well-educated and wise! So, who among you believes themselves to be the _embodiment_ of these _traits_?" Several hands shot in the air.

"Ahaha! Good, good! How about… you, young man! Step up and face your foe!" Professor Port bellowed jovially as he pulled the drapes off a large cage situated next to his desk.

The student walked down from his seat and took his place in front of the cage. Then he stepped down hard on the floor, making two daggers pop out of his boot soles.

"Ready."

* * *

"That annoying, womanizing… SCUMBAG!"

Twenty minutes later after the class had ended, Yasmin had made her way to the gym, and was presently hammering away with all her might on a punching bag. Just as she threw an electrically charged punch that severed the bag horizontally with a large crackle, Doctor Oobleck passed by the open door. He took one step forward, then did a double-take and backpedalled.

"Ah, Miss Meški! What seems to be the problem?" Yasmin frowned at the interruption as she looked down at the demolished punching bag at her feet.

"Nothing professor, just that I'm partnered with the most incompatible person in my year. He flirts with any girl he meets, he's casually throwing around racist commentary…"

"That sounds like quite an experience. Sit with me for a moment, will you?" the Doctor motioned towards a bench by the wall. As they sat down, Doctor Oobleck looked Yasmin in the eyes.

"While racism is indeed a very, very serious infringement, consider the fact that he is only a young man. It is highly likely he's just saying these things without actually regarding what he is, in fact, saying. You should try to talk to him more, impart on him that you are not comfortable with his choice of words." Doctor Oobleck leaned in towards Yasmin, with a smile displayed on his lips.

"As for the womanizing… allow me to tell you a story about a young, insufferable man I once made the 'pleasure' of making acquaintance with by the name of Peter Port…"

* * *

"… And ever since that day, so many, many years ago… There is none other in this whole wide world I'd rather have by my side in combat than Peter Port. The point, Miss Meški, is that you've only known this boy for less than a week. Give him time. Get to know him as a person. And only _then_ may you judge if you were right or wrong about him. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go prepare for my guest lecturer's arrival for my next class." The gangly man rose to his feet and started towards the door. He had almost made it past the demolished punching bag as he paused, then kneeled down to retrieve something from within the ruined bag. He walked back to Yasmin with a piece of lightning-shaped glass.

"You could probably sell these. They are very beautiful." He then turned on his heel and zipped out of the room, leaving Yasmin alone with his words echoing in her head.

* * *

 **AN: Again, sorry for the rushed chapter. This has got to be one of the crappiest things I've ever written.**

 **Reason why Port's lines are almost taken word-by-word from the show is that I felt it to be perfectly in-character for him to reuse his old material, even if it happens to be three years old by now.**

 **I'll leave it up to you how the unnamed dude with the knifeboots took down his opponent (canonically a young beowolf). I'd like to imagine Flora and Xander did some stealthy use of their respective semblances to secretly aid him in delivering a swift kick to the beowolf's nads (because why not?).**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


	6. Mending fences

**People tell me last chapter wasn't total garbage. I still beg to differ, but as long as you like it I guess… :)**

 **I'm just hoping this is the end of my slump in creativity.**

* * *

Chapter the Sixth: In which Sparring is done, Friendship is brokered, and a common Understanding is reached.

* * *

Slate looked down at the note in his hand again. _Nope, still didn't make a lick of sense._

Why would Yasmin want to meet him here at the roof of their dorm wing? In full combat gear, no less.

"Good, you're here. Let's get on with it, shall we?" He turned towards the voice of his partner.

"Yasmin… Mind telling me what's up?" Yasmin hefted Nightshade and let the flat side rest on her shoulder.

"Doctor Oobleck told me I should get to know my partner better if I want to succeed in this team, so that's exactly what I'm going to do…" She swung Nightshade forward in her hand in a circling motion, finishing in a ready position.

"… I'm going to beat the stuffing out of you." Slate reached for his swords strapped across his back.

"Heh. Bring it, girl." No sooner had he finished than Yasmin lunged, swiping at his head. He called out in shock as he barely parried with his swords.

" _Dust!_ You're seriously trying to kill me, aren't you?" Yasmin grinned menacingly.

"So… tell me about yourself. Any siblings?" Slate blinked in confusion as he parried yet another strike, following it up with a counteroffensive of his own.

"… What?"

"You heard me. Tell me about you." Yasmin deftly jumped to avoid a low double swipe from Slate.

"Well… I grew up in central Vale as a middle child, mom and dad divorced when I was young…" Slate shifted his swords so he could fire a barrage of bullets at his opponent, but Yasmin was quick enough to deflect them with two swipes with Nightshade.

"… Any pets? Dogs? Cats? Lizards?"

"Dad had a dog before he split with mom. It died a few months after."

"… I'm sorry to hear that. What breed was he?"

" _She_ was a Vacuan shepherd."

"How old was she when she died?" Slate and Yasmin locked swords, their faces so close she could almost count his eyelashes. Then she kicked him away and lunged after him.

"She was 10. I was 12. It hurt a lot seeing her go when she'd been there for most of my life." Yasmin gave him a sympathetic look.

"I can imagine… though she was old, so she had lived a long and eventful life. It… just happened to be her time."

"… You seem to know an awful lot about dogs. There's a story to it, I wager?"

"… Hm?" Yasmin swung Nightshade at Slate's legs, which he sidestepped.

"You're asking me a lot of things, only fair I get to know some stuff about you too."

"Okay. Fair's fair. What do you want to know?"

"How come you know so much about dogs?" Yasmin shrugged.

"Mom and dad run a breeding kennel out near Patch, it's been in business since before I was born. That's actually why I habitually spell my name with a 'Y' – most kennels pick their litters' names by alphabetical order. One litter with all names beginning with A, next one is B, et cetera et cetera." Yasmin danced around Slates swings as she talked, obviously not concerned at all by her opponents efforts to hit her.

"When I was born they had cycled over to Y again, and mom thought it'd be cute if I got a name beginning with Y as well."

"That actually _is_ kind of cute. Any more things about you? Siblings?"

"Single child. Only family of real consequence really is my maternal younger aunt Anita. She's kind of horrible though."

"Hm?"

"She's a hard-core believer in Faunus supremacy over Humanity. Joined up with the White Fang once they jumped off the slippery slope as well." Yasmin sighed as she continued.

"That's why I react so badly to you casually slinging around insensitive remarks. They kind of strike a sore spot. Speaking of striking spots…" Yasmin dropped down into a spin, throwing out Slates legs from under him. Standing over her defeated opponent, she lowered Nightshade so the tip of the blade almost touched Slate's nose. She channelled her semblance into the special receivers she had incorporated throughout the zweihänder, making the blade crackle with blue electricity.

"… You give?" Slate raised his hands in defeat.

"I give." Yasmin helped him to his feet.

"Look, Yasmin – I'm a jerk, ok? I often let my mouth do the talking before my brain can approve. Had I known I was making you this uncomfortable, I'd have tried to be more considerate." He held out his hand towards her.

"Friends?" He was momentarily stunned as she instead of accepting his handshake grasped his forearm, but he quickly adjusted and returned the gesture as they hugged.

"Friends."

* * *

 **AN: I know a thing or two about dogs thanks to my parents, so… yeah.**

 **Average lifespan for a German shepherd is 12-13 years, just FYI.**

 **Yes, I know this is basically _Trial by Campfire_ with a bit more chattiness, but I gotta write _something_.**

 **Forearm handshake is inspired by the Jaffa of Stargate.**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


	7. Playing Games and Scoring

**Now that Yasmin and Slate are on the same page, I'm sure the shippers will come out of the woodworks… o_o**

* * *

Chapter the Seventh: In which Games are won, Fun is had, and something deeper is attained.

* * *

"Go fish, Xander."

"Dammit. Your turn." Flora looked over her hand again.

"Any… fours?" She grinned mischievously as Xander muttered something under his breath and gave her two cards that she put by her four of clubs. Looking back up at her opponent, she ran through her mental checklist what cards he had asked for lately. There it was, the card she needed to rob him of even more dignity.

"I'll take your sixes next then."

"DAMMIT." Xander gave her his three sixes, which she put with her six of hearts and placed them in her collected pile of won cards. _Better give him some leeway, don't wanna have him all mopey 'cause I kicked butt…_

"Next I'll be having your… eights, I think." Xander shone up and pointed at Flora as he shouted.

"A-HA! Go fish! My turn again!"

"All right, what'll it be then?"

"Well, I've managed to come by a four of diamonds since last you asked…" Flora just smiled and gave him the three cards, which he put in his pile. Now there was only three cards left in the pool. Flora had two aces and three eights on her hand, Xander had four cards on his.

"I'll be taking your aces next, then." Flora sighed dramatically and handed them over.

"And your… fives?" Xander glanced at Flora hopefully.

"Go fish."

"Aw dust. Hit me."

"Eights?" Xander tossed the card dejectedly towards his opponent, who smiled as she put it in her pile, along with her own three cards. Flora took a card from the pool, as she now had none on hand. _Aw yeah, ace of Hearts._

"And I do believe you have three aces for me as well?" She grinned wickedly.

"Oh, COME _ON!_ "

* * *

As the game concluded, the two players compared their stacks of cards. There was really no doubt about who'd won – Flora's pile was more than twice Xander's height.

"I have no idea why I agreed to play with you, you demonic woman you." Flora shrugged.

"Eh, you pick up a few things as a middle child with two younger siblings."

"Lucky you, I always end up drawing the short stick when it comes to my older brothers." Suddenly Flora grinned mischievously. She rose from her chair and walked over to Xander's side of the table and leaned against it as she locked eyes with him.

"You know… we never _did_ get to finish our conversation on the airship…" Xander swallowed as he noticed the predatory gleam in his team leader's eyes.

"Wh-whatever do you mean?"

"How you were obviously checking me out, of course."

"No idea what you're on about. None whatsoever." Flora leaned in towards him as she continued.

"Oh, I think you _do_ know what I mean…" She inched closer and cupped his cheeks in her hands.

"… You have the hots for me." She gave him a quick peck on the forehead and straightened up. Looking down at her teammate, she was met with the reddest face she'd ever seen.

"Heh... Hahaha! Oh my Oum, your… your face! Hahahaha!"

"Well, I'm glad _one_ of us is amused by this whole thing at least…" Flora wiped a mirthful tear from her eye.

"I'm so sorry for laughing, but you just looked so hilarious with that red face and blank stare!" Xander stood up to stand face to face with Flora.

"So… Where do we go from here?" Flora shrugged.

"Grab some dinner this weekend, just you and I, see where things go from there?"

"I'd like that."

* * *

 **AN: Damn, Xander got _schooled_.**

 **Desert Flower ship sails on, better pledge allegiance while you can.**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


	8. Strange bedfellows

**A game called _Overwatch_ came out just recently (you should definitely give it a try on the XBOne) so it's highly likely my carefully planned "two new entries every week"-deal might not hold for the foreseeable future. Just a heads-up.**

* * *

Chapter the Eighth: In which awkward moments are experienced, stern Talks are had, and Celebrities are welcomed back.

* * *

"Hey, Xander. Wake up man, classes begin in 45 minutes." Xander felt someone prodding his ribs as he regained consciousness. As he opened his eyes, he was met by the visage of his teammate Slate, leaning over his bed. Wait, no. not _his_ bed. The window was on the wrong side.

"So… you and the Boss Lady, huh? You an item now?" _Oh crap, he suspects something… quick, divert his attention somewhere else!_

"No…" he half-faked a yawn. "No idea what you're talking about."

"Oh? Should I take your word for that? You might wanna roll over and take a peek behind you then…" Slate chuckled as Xander's eyes grew wide. He slowly turned his head to the left to look over his shoulder.

* * *

"Jaune?! What's wrong? Why did you scream?" Pyrrha shot out of bed as Jaune peeked out from Team JNPR's bathroom, toothbrush in hand.

"Wasn't me, Pyrrha. Maybe one of the freshmen girls?" Pyrrha wandered over to her drawer to gather her school uniform.

"… You're probably right. Now hurry up in there, I need the bathroom too."

* * *

"Well good morning to you too, Xander…" Flora said as she covered her ears, still a bit drowsy after her abrupt wakening.

"… Sorry." Xander sat at the edge of Flora's bed where he'd somehow fallen asleep last night and Flora hadn't woken him up and just let him share her bed like it was the most natural thing after his secret or not-so-secret-obviously crush had been exposed for what it was and why didn't she just wake him up and let him get back to his own bed and why was he in his boxers when he woke up oh Oum no did she undress him did she see any private areas?

"It's okay, your reaction was understandable." Slate cleared his throat.

"Uh, guys? I'm still here." Flora huffed amusedly.

"Yes, we can see that. Where's Yasmin?"

"Taking a shower. She's quite strong for her size." Slate rubbed his side. Flora sighed disapprovingly.

"Dust. All right, what'd you say _this time_?"

"I… uh… asked her if she used _special_ shampoo. For the fur on her ears, that is." Flora groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

"Slate. It's been _three days_ since she beat the snot out of you last time. You need to think before you open your mouth." Slate stared at his boots.

"… Yes, I know that. But I'm having a tough time knocking old habits. She's the first Faunus I've known personally."

"Try _harder_ , man. It's not good for the team if you guys are at each other's throats all the time." Xander walked up to him and put his hand on the other boy's shoulder, looking him in the eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I know…"

* * *

"Now class, I know many of you have heard of me before coming to Beacon from your older siblings, most of it along the lines of 'history is boring' and 'Doctor Oobleck's classes are hard to follow'. Be that as it may, I have decided to be a little more lenient in the first few lectures every term, so you will have an easier time to get acquainted with my line of education!" Doctor Oobleck zipped about in front of the chalkboard as he spoke, occasionally stopping for a sip of coffee from his mug or writing down things on the chalkboard.

"The first step in this restructuring of my teaching methods? _Guest lecturers_." He circled the first entry on the chalkboard list labelled CURRICULUM.

"Now, being so that the CCTS still is a bit wobbly in the far reaches of our world my first guest lecturer of the term was a bit hard to get a hold of but since her team is travelling all over Remnant that would only be expected." He zipped over to the door next to the chalkboard and gently pushed it open.

"Now these days her and her team may be world-famed huntresses and huntsmen, but I still recall a shy and friendly girl sitting in this very classroom only four years ago." As he spoke, a woman with long, auburn hair stepped through the door and made her way to a chair beside Oobleck's desk, her long bunny ears flopping about as she took her seat. Mumbling voices arose from the group of students when they recognized who it was.

"You may know her as 'the Lightsmith of team CFVY', but to me, she'll always be… Velvet Scarlatina."

* * *

 **AN: Awkward mornings are the worst.**

 **"Some girl's in trouble!" Yep, definitely feeling the Jaune-expy bits in you, Xander…**

 **Slate, don't make me hate you and your "speak first, think later" mentality…**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


	9. Studies and Observations

**You have** ** _no idea_** **how many times I deleted all text in this and started over… xD**

* * *

Chapter the Ninth: In which Lunch is served, Plans are laid, and Studying is done.

* * *

"So, what's this week's rundown?" asked Flora as team FYSX was making their way towards the dining hall.

"Well, on top of the four-page essay on the Great War and the ten-page reading assignment, which Doctor Oobleck so _kindly_ assigned us not _twenty minutes_ ago…" Yasmin muttered, gesticulating annoyedly towards the heavens.

"…We've got Professor Port's forty-page 'ways of combatting Grimm' reading assignment, Professor Goodwitch's six-page essay on the importance of fitness training for huntsmen and huntresses, and Professor Peach's nutrition reading assignment." She mumbled something under her breath as she put away her scroll into her bag.

"… All of which are due next Friday." Slate chimed in, twirling a pen between his fingers as he walked.

"Egh. Don't remind me." Xander said as his hand found Flora's, the look of displeasure on his face slowly shifting into a more positive smile as he felt her hand gently squeeze back. She chuckled at her team's low spirits.

"I'll find some spot in our busy, busy schedule for a cram study session, I promise. Now cheer up, it's Lunchtime and I'd rather keep my appetite than having to look at your sorry faces."

As they made their way towards an unoccupied table with their food trays, Yasmin decided to speak up.

"So Flora… What's the deal with you and Xander? You going steady now or something?" Flora burst out in a wide smile as Xander blushed deeply and started picking at his food.

"Oh right, you didn't know yet. But yeah, I got a bit fed up with him evading the subject of his _rather obvious_ crush-" She elbow-nudged Xander as she paused for a moment.

"-so we _unanimously_ decided to give it a try, see where it takes us. We're going on a dinner date this weekend, just the two of us." Yasmin smiled mischievously at Xander.

"Good. It was getting rather painful, if entertaining, to watch this dork squirm." Xander huffed and shot Yasmin an 'I'll get you later, just you wait'-look, then resumed his lunch.

"So now all we have to deal with to weed out all the various kinks in this team is Slate not keeping his tongue in check around you, and we'll be all set."

" _Hey!_ I'll have you know I'm really trying to be a better teammate to her! I haven't called her a-" Yasmin's head snapped to her side, glaring daggers at Slate.

"… Right. Shutting up now before I start digging myself deeper again."

* * *

"I'm just saying, Blake! You guys are perfectly fine on your own while I and Penny go to Atlas for our quarterly check-up! You've got JNPR around too, right? Besides, maybe I could talk them into adding a vibration function…"

Suddenly Xander felt that that conversation sounded pretty private and he should stop the casual eavesdropping of his seniors in the leftover disposal line. _Yep, most definitely. And did that blonde student's arm just talk?_

* * *

After having suffered through an hour of combat practice under the watchful eye of Professor Aoyama, a ninety-minute speech in the auditorium from Professor Ozpin and a forty-five minute computer sciences class under Professor Grau, team FYSX was barely able to get in a few minutes in their dorm to study before bedtime. As Xander walked out of the bathroom in his sleepwear, Flora called for his attention.

"You can sleep in my bed tonight with me if you promise not to do that dust-damned screaming again tomorrow…" Xander froze in his steps. He looked at his bed. He looked back at Flora, sitting on the edge of hers, facing him. He looked at his bed again. He walked over to Flora, and together they cuddled up under the sheets.

Minutes later, the whole team was asleep.

* * *

 **AN: By the spirits, am I glad for never having to deal with school ever again. (My work as a town archivist is pretty chill, I must say. *Tips hat to Dr. Oobleck*)**

 **Xan, my man. Eavesdropping is a nasty habit. On the same topic – Yang, you might wanna keep your voice down when discussing you and your girlfriend's intimate life.**

 **Nothing untoward is going to happen tonight, it's far too early for them to do away with their undergarments and commence the nasty. Relax.**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


	10. Into The Nest

**I totally regret starting to write this story without a clear plot and ending in mind… V_V**

* * *

Chapter the Tenth: In which a Mission is undertaken, a Colony is infiltrated, and a horrific Development discovered.

* * *

"Ants. I _hate_ ants."

Slate sat muttering in the aft section of a bullhead hovering some 500 metres above a large nest of Myrmidon Grimm. Yasmin playfully punched his shoulder as she sat down beside him.

"Suck it up you big baby. See this as a therapeutic experience – you get to kill a whole nest of 'em. Play nice and I'll even let you have some of my kills." Further to the back, near the loading bay doors, Flora and Xander was busy hefting several large stones towards the opening.

Setting a boulder down, Flora hopped up on it to rest.

"… This would've been so much harder to do without our semblances." she chuckled.

"From 150 kilograms down to barely a tenth of it, all with minimal costs to our stamina." Xander kicked lazily at the boulder Flora sat on, before sitting down on one of his own.

"So… why did we bring these along in the first place?" Flora leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You'll have to wait a few moments while I coordinate a drop zone with the pilot."

* * *

As Flora returned from the comms near the bay doors, her team was already gathered.

"Okay, so here's the plan: We all know Myrmidon nests are some tough nuts to crack – literally. Their walls are practically impervious to standard-size calibre arms. So I thought – 'if the problem can't be solved with guns, we just need more guns!' long story short, I went asking around for the biggest boulders we had around beacon and gathered them as ammunition." As she talked she paced back and forth in front of her friends like some sort of military commander.

"Basically, we're going to use mine and Xander's semblances to increase the yield and impact of the rocks, hopefully it'll be enough to poke some holes in those nest walls so we can get to slaughtering them all." Grabbing a hold of the boulder closest to the ramp she motioned for Xander to help her toss it overboard.

"On the count of three, I'll be making it light enough for us to lift, then we throw it and you'll increase the velocity downwards while I cram it with as much mass as I can, got it?" Xander nodded as he gripped the other end of their first improvised projectile.

"Three… two… one! Go!" as soon as they had thrown it out, it lagged a bit in the air until Xander made it hurl downwards at an impressive velocity, only aided by the increase in mass from Flora. Seconds later, it impacted the roof of the colony with a loud, thundering boom, cracking open a hole in the large structure.

"Yes! It worked!" She indicated the next boulder in line.

"Again!" They repeated the process several more time, raining down boulders on the hive like a man-made meteor storm, each hit with the force of a medium-sized bomb. Flora looked over the edge of the ramp, down at the colony.

"That should do it. Get ready to jump! Make sure you spread arms and legs wide to slow yourself as much as possible!" And with that, she jumped backwards out of the bullhead.

* * *

After a few seconds of freefall, the team landed in the murky depths of the colony, their improvised entry holes their only source of light in the near pitch-black cavernous nest.

"Damn, didn't think of that. Rookie mistake. Slate, Yasmin – would you do me the honours?"

"Can't imagine how dark in here it must be for you guys…" Yasmin chuckled, indicating the dog ears on top of her head before realising they could probably not see her joke.

" _Anyways_ …" she let tiny sparks of electricity dance in the palm of her hand. She quickly found two sticks of wood, of which she handed one to Slate to ignite as she did the same with hers. Following the tunnel they had infiltrated through, they descended deeper into the colony.

Coming upon a larger room, they realised that their improvised torches would not illuminate further than a few metres in.

"I got a bad feeling about this… Yasmin, can you see anything in here?" The young girl frowned.

"I wish I didn't."

The entire chamber was filled with myrmidons, crawling everywhere and swarming over a large, bloated, creature in their midst – the Queen Myrmidon.

"We're going to need backup." Yasmin noted with dismay.

* * *

 **AN: It's funny how the original Plan was for Yasmin to be the focal character and the main viewpoint in the story only for DesertFlower to completely hijack the show. xD**

 **I wonder who's gonna get sent in as backup, hmm? :3**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


	11. The Cavalry Arrives

**Getting better at the whole cliffhanger bit.**

* * *

Chapter the Eleventh: In which a Rescue is mounted, a new Friendship is sparked, and a Battle is ended.

* * *

"Slate, I want you to back up very carefully and slowly, radio our bullhead to relay a request for backup. There's just no way us four freshmen can take this colony out on our own." Flora's fear was evident to Slate in the soft glow of the improvised torches. As he retreated down the tunnel they had come from, his three teammates turned their attention back into the large, dark cavern. Once their eyes had somewhat adjusted so that they too could pick out some of the details in the darkness beyond the reach of their torches.

"I'm inclined to agree with you, Yasmin – I'd rather not have seen this either." Xander complained from somewhere behind her. Suddenly something behind the group went snap, and they all swung their heads around while gripping their weapons tight, ready for anything.

"Crap crap crap! Sorry if I spooked you, guys…" Slate excused himself profusely as he rounded the corner of the tunnel. Flora merely glared at him and went back to observing the colony while waiting for backup to arrive.

"Uh, guys…? Were there this many myrmidons near this tunnel exit before?" And as the rest of the team looked closer, they could only confirm Flora's suspicions.

"… Think they can see us?" a worker myrmidon raised its head towards the group of hunters and shrieked a shrill warning cry.

"… _I think they can see us_." Flora racked The Woodsman as she stood up, ready for combat.

"Stay in the tunnel! If we go out in the open we're as good as dead! Somebody keep an eye on our six as well!" As the horde surged towards them they opened fire, felling myrmidons by the dozen. Flora and Slate was alternating between cutting and shooting at their opponents, while Yasmin had taken a knee and was taking pot shots at the queen with Nightshade, and Xander was bashing around with his shield, occasionally firing into the abdomen of the few myrmidon that managed to cling to his shield.

"Get down!" Xander had barely registered the warning before a round, flat bronze-coloured object whizzed past mere decimetres from his face, embedding itself in the skull of a myrmidon that had been trying to sneak up on him. Suddenly the shield started to wobble and break free from the dead Grimm. Flying back the same way it came from, it reattached itself to the forearm of a tall redheaded girl with a metallic clang. The girl was flanked by her team leader on her right, a blonde boy with a simple sword and shield, on her left, a carrot-haired young woman with one very, very large hammer and a black-haired boy with two bladed SMGs.

"We're Beacon Senior students team JNPR. You wanted backup?" The blonde boy spoke up.

"That would be very kind of you. Got supplies?" Flora replied, absentmindedly shooting a myrmidon in the head. The blonde boy hefted a bag off his shoulder.

"Right here. Name's Jaune by the way. That's Pyrrha, Nora and Ren." The team waved in turn as their names were called.

"Now, let's kill us some Grimm." He picked out several flares from the bag and tossed them out into the large chamber, illuminating the colony in a soft, yellowish red tone. Finally, he picked out a large flare gun, aimed it at the roof of the cavern and fired.

"That is one big cavern. Think you can hit the roof from down here, Nora?" Nora walked up next to Jaune and looked towards the ceiling.

"With some added help, sure? Got a Taser in that bag?"

"Ahh nuts, should've thought of that." Team FYSX looked at their upperclassmen quizzically.

"What do you need a Taser for?" Nora grinned broadly.

"It's to charge my semblance. I can absorb electricity to become stronger." Yasmin casually walked up to the older girl and leisurely flicked her wrists, sending surges of electricity crackling in the air.

"… How much do you need?" Nora grinned even more broadly.

"Ooouuh, You and I are going to get along just _great_ …" She turned around and knelt down before Yasmin.

"Get on my back and give me all you got." Yasmin obediently climbed up, wrapping her arms around the older girl's neck and her legs around her waist.

"3… 2… 1… let it rip!" focusing all she had, Yasmin blasted away into Nora's shoulders, letting the raw electricity course through her upperclassman's body, filling it with a much needed boost.

"AHAHAHA! THIS FEELS _AWESOME!_ " Nora took off sprinting, swinging Magnhild with one hand and throwing the sticky explosives towards the ceiling as she sprinted through the colony. Once she was all out stickies, she converted Magnhild to its grenade launcher form and shot a few rounds at the queen before converting it back to hammer mode and taking out a few more drones on her way back to their teammates. Just as Nora slid to a halt and was letting her passenger off, Yasmin nearly fell due to the taxing experience of prolonged semblance use.

"Slate, help Yasmin up so we can get the heck away from here and blow this place sky high." Slate obediently picked up the shorter girl bridal-style and took off running down the tunnel towards their entry point. When he arrived, he saw that several larger holes had been added to their own entry points. Pyrrha smiled politely as she ran up beside him.

"Want help getting her up there? Unfortunately she doesn't seem to have much metal in her armour, so I can't just use my polarity…"

"It's okay, I can do it myself. Could you hold her for a bit?" Pyrrha gently held out her arms to carry the young Faunus, carefully positioning her forearms under Yasmin's shoulders and at the back of her knees. Meanwhile, Slate had put his swords together, and put them on the ground. Motioning for Pyrrha to hand him Yasmin back, he keyed a small button on the side of his hover board, slowly rising to the pre-set height.

"Most impressive!" Pyrrha exclaimed as she gently brushed her fingers against the board.

"Did you forge them yourself?" Slate smiled a roguish smile.

"I had some help from some older students." Pyrrha attached Miló and Akoúo on her back and used her semblance to float up beside Slate.

"Ah, yes – I do recall hearing about team RWBY's workshop at the end of last term. They're actually good friends of us in JNPR."

"Small world."

"Small world indeed."

* * *

As they all got on board the bullhead, Jaune handed Flora the detonator.

"Want to do the honours?" Flora grinned as she regarded the small device in the older boy's hand.

"Would I ever!" Gently accepting the trigger, she pushed down on the button. Far below the open viewport of the bullhead, the entire cliffside crumbled down.

"Didn't look all that big from the outside…"

* * *

 **AN: You thought it'd be team RWBY to the rescue, didn't you? :P**

 **Pyrrha is flying Magneto-style; by using the metal in her outfit and weapons to pull herself off the ground.**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


	12. Saturday Night Arcade

**Listening to Cat Stevens** ** _Another Saturday Night_** **at present.**

* * *

Chapter the Twelfth: In which homework is done, a Reward is issued, and Victory is celebrated.

* * *

"Stupid homework… I wanna enjoy my weekend…" Xander yawned as he sat by the desk in the FYSX dorm. He really wanted to know what sort of wrongdoing the freshmen class had committed to deserve a 25-page reading assignment from Professor Peach, at that receiving it not in person, but by a written notice on her chalkboard. That was just rude.

"'tcha readin' there, Xanman?" a voice suddenly whispered in his ear, causing him to jump in shock.

"Dammit Flora, please stop doing that!" Flora chuckled as she straightened up.

"But it's so fun teasing you! If you don't like it, maybe you should try not being such an adorable scaredy-cat." She squinted as she read from Xander's book.

"Prof Peach's homework assignment? Are you still not done with that? I blew past that in like, ten minutes." Xander grumbled as his forehead impacted the book on the desk in front of him.

"Show-off…" Flora patted him on the back and massaged his shoulders.

"Finish up and I'll give you a reward, how about that?" noticing Xander's blank stare and slightly flushed cheeks she quickly added "… nothing lewd, promise." With renewed vigour, Xander made short work of his reading.

"Good work, now let's go!" Flora smiled excitedly with a fist pump.

"Where?" Xander replied as he was dragged along by his team leader.

"Oh, you'll see…"

* * *

"… An arcade?" Xander stared at the small building in downtown Vale.

"Yep. I've been meaning to check this place out for a while, and now when I've got a boyfriend of my own I think it's just as good a time as any to do so." Quickly crossing the street, they stepped into the arcade.

"Huh, wooden panel walls. How old-school." Flora noted, mostly to herself.

"… Wanna try that air hockey table first?" Xander gave Flora a challenging smile.

"You're on, girl." They walked up to the table, but just as Flora reached for her purse Xander put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, I can pay for this."

"But I'm the one who invited _you_ , I should be paying…"

"Flora, it's okay. Let me do this for you, okay?"

"… Fine. But I'm paying for the next game we try."

"Deal." Xander inserted two 10-lien coins into the slot on his side and pressed the start button. Flora scored the first goal with a clever zig-zag bounce feint on Xander's right side.

"Hey!"

"Huh, that worked. Haven't played air hockey in ages…"

"Oh, you are going _down_ …"

"Bring it, boy…" Flora grinned menacingly, only to dumbstruck stare as Xander scored a point of his own.

"Dammit. 1-1."

After a few more minutes of play, it had escalated to 3-4 in Flora's favour as the timer counted down the last 30 seconds of their allotted time. Xander bounced the puck off the right wall, aiming in-between Flora's mallet and her goalpost, but she swiftly blocked it and sent it back towards Xander's goal. It was a close call, as he barely pinned it between the wall and his mallet. Pushing the puck back out on the field again, he bounced it off Flora's goalpost into the back of her mallet and into her goal.

"Yes! 4-4!"

"Time we ended this, my boy…"

"Yes, quite. 10 seconds."

"Not what I meant, you mood killer."

"Heh." Suddenly Flora lashed out and bounced the puck on the right side wall, across the field and bounced it off the backside of Xander's mallet into his goal, with one second left.

"Yes! I win!"

* * *

After having spent a few hours in the arcade, winning prizes left and right, the two huntsmen trainees wandered home towards the airship terminal. Flor was carrying a small stuffed bear she had won from a claw machine, and Xander hefted the gorilla plush he had won in a ring-toss stall.

"I had fun tonight Flora, thanks for the invite."

"You're welcome." Flora answered as she leaned in and hugged his free arm.

* * *

 **AN: I am quite literally finishing this chapter at Thursday midnight, please don't judge quality too hard x_x**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


	13. Stormbringer

**Okay, so I'm thinking about maybe ending this story in the next two chapters or so. This story was merely meant as an introduction to the guys and gals of FYSX, and I'm running out of ideas anyways. I may end it all with some Midterms shenanigans just to wind down the story slowly. Not sure yet.**

* * *

Chapter the Thirteenth: In which Sparring is done, a Pep-talk is had, and Thunder is cast.

* * *

"Okay, once more from the top…" Slate pushed his diminutive sparring partner away by his and hers interlocked swords.

"When you're up against a bigger and stronger opponent like now, speed and cunning is key." He grinned at the Faunus girl breathing slow, deep breaths in front of him.

"Especially when I've got double the amount of swords you have." Yasmin huffed.

"Ah stuff it, Slate. I know all this already."

"Why are you panting? Is the widdle doggy all _warm and achy_ from the workout?" Yasmin yelled out in rage and swung Nightshade in a flurry of swipes at her partner, most of which Slate blocked with ease.

"That's another thing you need to work on. Attack blindly in a sparring match and you'll only lose your dignity-" He kicked out Yasmin's feet from under her, making her fall flat on her ass. He swiped his hand out in a wide arc as if to indicate the whole world.

"- out there in the world? It'll be your _life_." Yasmin grimaced as she rose to her feet.

"Well _of course_ I'm going to get pissed if you talk like that! You know _dust-damned well_ what I think of racism!" She yelled angrily as she raised a fist, crackling with electricity. Slate merely blocked the punch with the broadside of one of his swords.

"Why'd you even do that? Couldn't you just have zapped me from over there?" Slate stared at Yasmin with a quizzical look.

"I need to be in physical contact to zap something."

"That's hardly an excuse. The air's still there, isn't it?"

"It's called _empty_ air for a reason, Slate."

"… Swing your arm around for a sec, will you?" Yasmin crossed her arms with a bemused look on her face.

"… What."

"… Just… just do it, okay?" Yasmin sighed and flicked her arm horizontally to the side.

"Now… did that feel _empty_ to you?" Yasmin frowned at Slate.

"…Get to the _point_ , maybe?" Slate chuckled.

"My point being, had it been truly nothing there – 'empty air', as you said – you wouldn't have felt that brush of air against your hand if there was nothing there, now would you?"

"It's just wind." Slate smiled at his partner's – willing or unwilling – failure to see his idea.

"Winds could not be if there was a vacuum, no?" He stepped up close to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm saying that we need to break you out of that silly notion you need to be within arm's reach to unleash thunder upon thine enemies." Yasmin huffed.

"Yeah? Good luck with that."

Slate walked over to the target controls for the shooting range section of the large training hall they had sparred in, and fidgeted with the controls. As the targets whirred out to a fairly decent range, Slate once again turned to Yasmin.

"Try and hit these targets."

Yasmin sighed as she held out her hand towards the tiny pieces of paper. Concentrating, she could feel the familiar tickle in her fingertips as tiny sparks radiated off them. She lowered her hand again in disappointment.

"It didn't work. I told you."

"Because you're still hung up on the notion that there's nothing in between your hand and the targets. Try flicking your wrist as you line up your shot, feel the air push against your hand to remind you it's there." Yasmin once again took aim with her hand. Nothing.

"… Want me to psych you up with some well-chosen dog puns?" Slate chuckled.

" _SHUT UP_ FOR OUM'S SAKE!" Yasmin shouted back angrily as she swung her arm towards the targets while she snapped her head back towards Slate, glaring angrily under a furrowed brow.

"… Uh, Yasmin? You _might_ wanna take a look at your targets…"

In the centre of the middle target was a burning, fist-sized hole.

* * *

 **AN: I'm getting the weirdest feeling there's kind of a love/hate relationship between these two.**

 **So yeah, Yasmin has learned ranged stormcalling. One step closer to badass.**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


End file.
